Urban regeneration in Korea has developed within a top-down system in which the central government establishes project guidelines and local governments prepare proposals based on them. These urban regeneration projects aim to revitalize declining urba...
Urban regeneration in Korea has developed within a top-down system in which the central government establishes project guidelines and local governments prepare proposals based on them. These urban regeneration projects aim to revitalize declining urban areas through physical improvement and socio-economic regeneration, but concerns persist that sustainability is limited and residents lack participation as key players. This study analyzes the sustainability and resident participation characteristics of the urban regeneration project in Chungcheongbuk-do, identifies structural constraints for community-led regeneration, and reviews and suggests strategic improvement measures. A mixed-method approach combining theoretical surveys, case study analysis, and survey studies was used. The literature review explored the concept of urban regeneration, governance, sustainability, and engagement, emphasizing that practical resident participation is an important determinant of long-term project success. When effectively institutionalized, resident participation not only increases the justification and responsiveness of the planning process, but also strengthens regional-based identity, fosters community networks, and supports self-reliant sustainability after project completion. However, it also emphasizes continuous improvement of Korea's policy, such as procedural participation without substantial decision-making authority and avoiding excessive dependence on administrative-led initiatives. According to a case study of completion and ongoing regeneration projects in Chungcheongbuk-do, despite the achievements of improving the environment and creating community facilities, resident participation often remains perfunctory. Most projects rely heavily on the promotion of administrative agencies, and resident councils or local cooperatives tend to lack sufficient authority, competence, and expertise to lead the operation of facilities or programs. Intermediate support organizations designed to connect government and local interests also show limitations in their expertise, making them unable to consistently promote diverse community participation. These structural limitations limit the role of true resident-led governance. The survey results illustrate these results well. Residents express their desire to engage in decision-making more deeply, but believe there is only formal participation. Many respondents acknowledge that urban regeneration projects do not meet local needs, and if government support is interrupted, they question the viability of facilities and programs. Experts likewise stress that lack of systemic capacity building, weak long-term governance structures, and lack of resident engagement undermine the sustainability that urban regeneration must promote. As urban regeneration projects in Chungcheongbuk-do rely heavily on the formal form of resident participation and the promotion of projects by administrative agencies, there is a limit to the realization of true resident-led regeneration. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the institutional intention of resident participation and the actual participation of residents in the project promotion were not connected. The study found that community capacity, functional roles of intermediate organizations, and changes in operational structure after the project had a significant impact on residents' perceptions of sustainability. In particular, the limited participation of residents in continuous and long-term management and governance is closely related to the inability to sustain urban regeneration projects after the end of government support. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the structural weakness inherent in the promotion of administrative agency-led projects and the importance of institutional conditions to increase residents' participation by empirically examining the residents' participation and sustainability awareness in Chungcheongbuk-do. By studying how residents' participation, governance structure, and sustainability awareness interact in the context of non-metropolitan and small and medium-sized cities, this study suggests a way to improve the system for urban regeneration sustainability.